Gas holder



GAS HOLDER Fiied neo. 24, 195o 4 Z0` gnou/1to1,

WLBUR G. LAIRD 4@3M-his @titer/m4# piston vgas beneath Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES WILBUR G. LAIRD, OF PLEASANTVILLE, N EW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'ro DOHERTY RESEARCH COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, NQY., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE GAS HOLDER Application filed December 245,'1930.. Serial lNo. 504,472.

This invention relates to gas holders and more particularly to those known as the waterless gasj holder. y

'The type of gas holder that is known as the waterless gas holder, consists of a large steel shell or container closed at' the bottom and suitably roofed at the top. The shell and bottom are made gas-tight and in the shell is constructed a heavy flat trussed piston which loosely tits the shell and which is slidable within the shell. The small gap between the and the shell is sealed against the escape sealing liquid (usually tar)' which is maintained in a pool aroundthe cireumferenceof the piston in contact With the shell and of a depth suliicient to exert a static head somewhat greater than the pressure exerted by the the piston.r When gas is introduced into and withdrawn from the space below the piston, the piston rises and `falls correspondingly while exerting a substantially ,constant pressure on the gas. Sealing liquid which escapes past the piston and into the gas space below. above the piston and the liquid seal is maintained at a substantially constant level.

Holders of this type usually are constructed in the form of a polygon having the number of sides determined by the diameter of the shell and the length of a more or less standard form of side plate adopted by the manufacturer. Vertical stiffening members (usually eye-beams) are placed at the vortex of the angle formed by the shell plates and serve also to support members also are used as guidesfor thel piston to prevent it from tipping.

1When the shell of the holder is builtin the form of a polygon the piston, having al similar form, cannot rotate. `When the shell of the holder is built in the form of a cylinder however, means must be provided to prevent rotation or partial rotation .of the piston.

As gas holders usually are units of large diameter vand hold the gas at low pressures, the pistons are constructed merely to act as closures. The piston has insufficient thickness orv guiding surface at its circumference of gas past the piston by the use of a' is returned to the pool p the roof. These vertical to prevent it from tipping from the horizontal plane. To preventthis tipping tendency and maintain the piston in a horizontal plane, as it moves up and down in the shel the .piston is usually providedl with vertical extension frames carrying guide rollers which bear Aagainst the vertical stiifening members of the shell and serve to hold the piston in a `hori- 'I zontal plane throughout itsvertical travel. lVhen the shell is round, means must be provided to prevent the piston from turning in such a way as to throw the pistonguide rollers away .from the stidening members of the shell and onto the unsupported shell plates.

It is apparent therefore, thatthe piston must be guided against both rotation and ltipping and that the guides which prevent the tipping movement and hold the piston in a horizontal plane and thickness to the piston and require a higher shell structure for holding a definite volume of gas than would Ybe required were the piston held in 'a horizonwithout the use of extension guide tal .plane The vertical distance between the rollers.

shell which prevent the piston from tipping is determined by the diameter ofthe piston; and the greater the diameter of the piston the greater must be the extension of guide frames which carry the guide rollers.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a piston for a waterless gasl holder that may be held in a horizontal plane without the use of the usual heavy and expensive guide structure.

Another object of the invention is to permit the use in a waterless holder of a crowned or oambered piston of lighterand less expensive construction than the piston now in common use. A

Another object of the invention is to provide a guiding means for'the piston of a waterless holder that will hold the .piston aga-inst rotation in the shell.-

y Another object of the invention is to provide a guiding means for the piston`of a waterless holder, whereby the piston can be brought to a -horizontal position and maintained in a horizontal position without exertoints of contactbetween the piston and the' in side'strains against the shell or its vertica members.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the improved waterless holder hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

The various features of the invent-ion are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. lis a view in vertical section showing a waterless holder having appli'cants imprpved piston mechanism mounted therein; an

Fig. 24is a plan view both in section and with parts broken away of the holder mechanism illustratedin Fig. 1.

The waterless holder illustrated in the drawing consists of a gas-tight shell 10 hav" ing a closed bottom 12 therein and a roof. y14 thereover. The roof 14 does not provide ,a gas-tight covering for the shell 10 but the gas is held in the holder between thewalls of shell 10, the bottom 12 and a piston 16 movably mounted within the shell. Gas is introduced kinto the shell through a pipe 18 and preferably is removed through a pipe 20. `As the gas is introduced and accumulates in the shell, the piston 1 6 moves upwardly. As the amount of gas in the holder shell decreases the piston 16 moves downwardly.

The piston 16 of the present invention distinguishes from the prior form of pistons used in the waterl'ess type of holders in that it is formed with an arcuate or cambered shape which is well adapted Vfor withstanding the pressures which are exerted upon the piston by the gas within the holder. 4By providing this cambered construction lthe piston may be built of comparatively light metal and still be able to withstand any gas pressure which may -be placed on a holder of this type. Around the periphery of the piston is provided a liquid holderl` 22 and a packing flange 24 by'which a body of liquid may be maintained around the periphery of the piston to hold a gas-tight 4joint between the periphery of the piston and the inner wall of the shell 10. Any oil or tar which passes between the periphery of the piston and the shell will run down the wall of the shell and accumulate in thev bottom of a shell. This oil is preferably collected in a pool and pumped from the pool vbered` under surface ofthe piston 16. In this way the piston will be supported over substantially its entire area and there" will be no trolling the movement of the piston upwardly and downwardly in the shell. To this end the piston is supported upon and guided by means of flexible cables which are mounted aroundthe periphery of the piston and constrain the piston to move inra iXed path parallel to the inner wall of the shell. In the drawing two pairs of guide cables are shown for the purpose of illustration. In the large holders however a large number ofpairs of guide cables will be used to yprovide mechanism for confining the piston movement to a fixed path and to prevent it from becoming misplaced or wedged within the shell. Each pair of the cables is mounted in the holder in the same manner so that the description of the mounting and operation of one pair of cables only1 will be described herein.

One cable 28 is attached by means of aneye bolt to the top of the piston and passes upwardly andvsubstantially parallel to the inner wall of the shell 10 to the top of the shell and over a guide pulley 32 secured to the roof of the shell. The cable 28 passes from the pulley 32 diametrically across the shell below the roof to a guide pulley 34 mounted on the'roof 14. From the guide pulley 34 the cable 28 passes downwardly along the inner wall of the shell 10 through an opening in the piston down to a guide pulley 36 secured to the floor of the shell. From the pulley 36 the cable passes upwardly to a tension bolt 38 movably mounted on the piston 16. A spring 40 is held under compression by the bolt 38 to hold the cable 28 in taut position. The other cable 42 of the pair is -secured to an eye bolt 44 mounted adjacent the bolt 38 and passes upwardly over a guide pulley 46 mounted under the roof 14 adjacent the pulley 34. The cablel 42 passes from the pulley 46 diametrically across the tank under the roof 14 to a pulley 48 secured to the lower side of the roof 14. From the pulley 48 the cable passes downwardly vand substantially par-f allel to the inner wall of the shell 10 through an opening in the piston 16 down to a pulley 50 secured to the floor 12 in a position substantially diametrically 'opposite the pulley 46. From the pulley 50 the cable 42 passes upwardly to a bolt 52 mounted on the piston 16 adjacent the eye bolt 30. A compression spring 54 is mounted on-the bolt 52 to hold the cable 42 in taut position.

As` shown in the drawing the-cables are mounted in pairs within the shell and move in substantially parallel paths.' As the piston 16 moves upwardly and downwardly each cable of the pair moves in opposite directions.- As these cables move in opposite directions, they tend to constrain the piston to l a definite path of movement parallel to the inner wall of the shell and if the lower surface of the piston is level this position of the piston will be maintained as it moves upwardly and downwardly in the shell. Since the cables are arranged in pairs and are connected to the tank in the opposite position, they automatically tend to resist or overcome any tendency for the piston to tip or move out of any plane other than a plane parallel to the plane for which the piston is set or adjusted. If the shell wall is vertical the piston will movein a vertical path.

With the piston construction and the guide system illustrated and described above, it will be a parent that a piston of comparatively lig t and cheap construction may be provided to eiect the closing ofthe shell to maintain a gas tight construction. The only necessity of having the piston built of heavy construction is when it is desired to weight the piston in order to increase the pressureof thegas within the shell. Even though Ait may be desirable to weight the piston in order to increase the pressure the cambered construction of the piston will permit the use of lighter construction in sustaining any desired weight. l

It will be apparent furthermore, that with the construction described above the holder does not need to be built so high in order to have a desired capacit because there are no guides attached to tlie piston which are usually provided for in the building of waterless holders.

Each guide cable used in guiding the piston passes through the piston in making its connections therewith.l The opening through which the cable passes in the piston may be provided with the usual f packing gland which will .be sealed by the liquid in the cup 22 or by other/suitable means to prevent the escape of gas from below-.the piston.

T he preferred form of the invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new is:

1. A waterless gas holder comprising a gas-tight shell having a bottom therein, a

piston closure vertically movable within the shell, means adapted to maintain a seal between the edge of vthe piston and the wall of the shell, a series of pairs of guide cables arranged at intervals around the periphery of the piston, said cables passing over guides within said shell and arranged to constrain the movement of the piston to a predetermined and fixed vertical path, one cable of each pair extending from the periphery of the piston upwardly along the wall tothe top of the shell, then across to the diametri cally opposite side of the shell immediately under its top, then downwardly along the shell wall and through the piston to a point adjacent the bottom of the shell, and then upwai uly and' attached to the piston at a within the shell and attached to the pistony in the reverse order from that of the first described cable. I

2. A waterless gas holder comprising a gastight shell having a bottom therein, a piston closure vertically movable in the shell, means adapted to maintain a seal between the edge of the piston and the wall of the shell, and a series of pairs of guide cables arranged at intervals around the periphery of the piston, each cable of a pair being attached to the piston at diametri-cally opposite points on the periphery thereof, said cablesA passing over guides within said shell and/ being arranged to constrain the'piston fr mtipping from a plane parallel to the plane in which it is originally set, the cables of each pair being arranged move in opposite directions, as the piston rises and falls.

A waterless gas holdercomprising a gastight shell, a piston closure of cambered shape vertically movable within the shell, means adapted to maintain a `seal between the edgev of the piston and the wall of the shell, a support on the bottom of the shell arranged to make a multi-point contact with the piston' when it is moved down adjacent the bottom of the shell, and a series of guide cables each attached to the piston at horizontall spaced points `on its periphery and mova le over guides secured within the shell at top and bottom and 'arranged to constrain the movemen of the piston to a fixed path.

4. A waterless gas holder comprising a tight shell, a piston closure movably mounted therein, means adapted to maintain a seal between the edge of the piston and the inner in parallel positions so as to wall of the shell and a. series of guide cables each attached tothe piston aty horizontally spaced points .uponAits periphery and arranged to move over guides and cables secured on the inside of the shell at top and bottom, said guidesfbeing mounted wholly withinthe shell and arranged to .constrain the movement of the piston to a fixed vertical path.

5. A waterless gas holder comprising a tight shell, a piston closure-movably mounted therein, means adapted to maintain a seal between the edgeof the piston and the wall of i the shell and a series of flexible guide cables mounted on the inside of the shell in pairs distributed around the periphery ofthe shell,` y i the' opposite en/ds of each cable being fixed at diametr-cally opposite'sides of the piston and pair guiding the edge of the piston at its opposite side'.

6. A Waterless gas holder comprising an upright gas-tight-substantially cylindrical shell, a piston closure vertically movable in the shell, gas sealing means between the periphery of the piston and the wall of the shell,

-parallel to the and a plurality of guide cables attached to the piston at spaced points about its periphery, each cable passing over guide pulleys attached to the inside of the shell at points adjacent to the top and bottom thereof and having its ends attached -to the piston at horizontally spaced points on its periphery, said guide cables being arranged to constrain the4 piston from rotating andl from tipping from a plane parallel to the plane in which it is ori inally set.

7. Waterless gas holder comprising an upright gas-tight substantially cylindrical shell, a piston closure vertically`movable in the shell, gas sealing means between the periphery of the piston and the Wall of the shell, and a plurality of guide cables operatively connected to the piston at spaced points about its periphery, each cable passing over guide pulleys mounted inside the shell and being operatively connected to the inside of vthe shell at pointsV adjacent to the top and bottom thereof and also to the piston at horizontally spaced points on its periphery, said guide cables being arranged'to constrain the piston from rotating and from tipping from a plane set.

8.` A Waterless gas holder comprising a gas-tight shell, a piston closure movable within the shell, means adapted to maintain a seal between the edge of the piston and the vertical wall of the shell, and guiding means for the piston comprising a series of guide cables disposed at spaced points varound' the periphery of the piston, each cable being operatively connected to the piston at horizontallyspaced points on its periphery and also operatively connected to the top and bottom of the shell at points in line vertically with the respective points of operative connection to the piston, said cables `being mounted Within the shell and arranged to constrain the movement of the piston to a fixed vertical path.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

VILBUR G. LAIRD.

plane in whlch it is originally 

